‘No King for USA’: Nationwide protests target Trump’s government overhaul and Musk alliance

Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., and across the United States on Saturday, as part of approximately 1,200 demonstrations expected to be the largest single day of protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since they launched a rapid-fire effort to overhaul government and expand presidential power.

Under the dismal sky and mild rain, people flooded into the grassy area surrounding the Washington Monument. Organisers told Reuters that around 20,000 people were expected to join a demonstration on the National Mall.

Opponents of the Republican president’s policies, which range from reduced government employment to trade tariffs and eroded civil rights, gathered in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado, and Los Angeles, among other cities.

According to the event’s website, over 150 activist groups have signed up to participate.  Protests were planned in all 50 states, as well as Canada and Mexico.

“I am so angry, I’m so mad, all the time, yes. A bunch of privileged, white alleged rapists are controlling our country. It’s not great,” said New York painter Shaina Kesner, 43, joining a crowd marching through the heart of Manhattan.

In Washington, thousands of demonstrators – many traveling from across the United States – gathered on the National Mall where dozens of speakers rallied opposition to Trump.

“We have about 100 people who have come down by bus and van from New Hampshire to protest against this outrageous administration (that) is causing us to lose our allies across the world, and causing devastation to people here at home,” said Diane Kolifrath, 64, a bike tour guide.

“They’re gutting our government.”

In Los Angeles, a woman dressed as a character from dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” waved a large flag with the message: “Get out of my uterus,” a reference to Trump’s anti-abortion policies.

In Denver, Colorado, one man in a large crowd of protesters held up a placard reading “No king for USA.”

The rallies even extended to some European capitals, where demonstrators voiced opposition to Trump and his aggressive trade policies.

“What’s happening in America is everyone’s problem,” Liz Chamberlin, a dual US-British citizen told AFP at a London rally.

“It’s economic lunacy… He is going to push us into a global recession.”

And in Berlin, 70-year-old retiree Susanne Fest said Trump had created “a constitutional crisis,” adding, “The guy is a lunatic.”

In the US, a loose coalition of left-leaning groups like MoveOn and Women’s March organized “Hands Off” events in more than 1,000 cities and in every congressional district, the groups said.

Doge under fire

With Trump’s blessing, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team has scythed through the U.S. government, eliminating more than 200,000 jobs from the 2.3 million federal workforce. At times, the effort has been haphazard and forced the recall of needed specialists.

On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service began laying off more than 20,000 workers, as much as 25% of its ranks.

Several hundred people gathered outside the headquarters of the Social Security Administration, a top DOGE target, near Baltimore to protest against cuts to the agency which delivers benefits to the elderly and disabled.

Linda Falcao, who turns 65 in two months, told the crowd she had been paying into the Social Security fund since the age of 16.

“I’m terrified, I’m angry, I’m pissed, I’m bewildered this could happen to the United States,” she said. “I do love America and I’m heartbroken. I need my money. I want my money. I want my benefits!” The crowd chanted, “It’s our money!”

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston disputed the protesters’ charge that Trump aimed to cut Social Security and Medicaid.

“President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors,” Huston said in an email.

Anger

Trump has angered many Americans by moving aggressively to downsize the government, unilaterally impose conservative values and sharply pressure even friendly countries over borders and trade, causing stock markets to tank.

“We’re out here to stop the, honestly, fascism,” protester Dominic Santella told AFP in Boston. “We’re stopping a leader from… jailing his opponents, stopping him from jailing just random people, immigrants.”

Many Democrats are irate that their party, in the minority in both houses of Congress, has seemed so helpless to resist Trump’s moves.

At the National Mall, just blocks from the White House, thousands heard speakers including Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who served as impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment.

“No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing,” he told the crowd.

Activist Graylan Hagler, 71, also addressed the protest, saying: “They’ve woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven’t seen nothing yet.”

“We will not sit down, we will not be quiet, and we will not go away.”

Saturday’s demonstrations were largely peaceful. An upbeat atmosphere prevailed on a mild day in Washington, with protesters ranging from the elderly to young couples with infants in strollers.

A Women’s March shortly after Trump’s first election in 2016 drew an estimated half-million protesters to Washington.

Organizers for the latest Washington rally had predicted a turnout of 20,000 but by Saturday afternoon said the number appeared considerably larger.

As Trump continues upending Washington, his approval rating has fallen to its lowest since taking office, according to recent polling.

But despite global pushback to his sweeping tariffs and bubbling resentment from many Americans, the White House has dismissed the protests.

Trump returned to office on January 20 with a stream of executive orders and other measures critics say are aligned with an agenda outlined by Project 2025, a deeply conservative political initiative to reshape government and consolidate presidential authority. His supporters have applauded Trump’s audacity as necessary to disrupt entrenched liberal interests.

Hours before the protests were due to kick off in the United States, hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris and London to voice opposition to Trump’s sweeping makeover of U.S. foreign and domestic policies.